A 13-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a shark while swimming near a popular tourist hotspot in Brazil.
On Thursday, Jan. 29, the teenager — identified as Deivson Rocha Dantas — was swimming at Del Chifre Beach near the city of Recife, when the attack occurred, as reported by local news outlet G1.
Dantas Died as a Result of Blood Loss After Suffering Extensive Injury to an Artery
Dantas was rushed to Tricentenário Hospital, in Bairro Novo, but succumbed to his injuries. The incident happened at around 2 p.m. local time, according to the news outlet.
Levy Dalton, the doctor who treated Dantas, said the teenager had been bitten on the right thigh, before suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest. He had died by the time he arrived at the hospital, UOL Notícias Brasil reported. "Unfortunately, we were unable to resuscitate him, (...) unfortunately we couldn't do much for him," Dalton told reporters.
"He had a fairly extensive injury to an artery in his lower limb, and because the injury was so extensive, he probably lost a lot of blood," the doctor continued. "That's what led to his death. He arrived at the unit already deceased..."
According to G1, the victim had been playing with friends in the ocean before the attack. Dantas' cousin, Lídia Emanuele, told TV Globo that the teenager had been pulled out of the water by others who were around the same age, G1 noted.
"[The shark] ate almost his entire leg. We called the ambulance, but they didn't arrive in time. So, his own friends, who were the same age as him, pulled him out. They took him out of the sea, dragged him to the corner, and put him on the ground. He also fainted and hit his head. By then he was already cold," Emanuele said, per the outlet.
Del Chifre is Notorious for Shark Attacks, Beach Has Warning Signs Asking Beachgoers to Avoid Swimming
This isn't the first shark attack that's occurred in the area. Del Chifre Beach, part of Brazil's Recife–Olinda coastline, has a long history of shark incidents and is considered one of the most high-risk coastal areas in the world.
Previous confirmed attacks at or near the beach include a fatal attack on a 27-year-old man in 2006, along with several other recorded encounters in the surrounding area over the years. Since 1992, the Pernambuco coast has registered as many as 80 shark attacks, with 27 of them resulting in fatalities.
Dozens of beaches along the turquoise coastlines of Pernambuco have been issued with shark warnings, authorities said, adding that Chifre beach had issued four such signs for beachgoers.
